Hyundai rises modest 2.4% in January sales

Hyundai says it set a January sales record. Yet on a percentage basis, it wasn't much to crow about: 2.4%.

"Despite some lingering economic concerns, January turned out to be a solid first month for us," said Dave Zuchowski, executive vice president, national sales.

He pointed to two relatively new models as doing well out of the gate: the Santa Fe Sport and Elantra GT. A seven-passenger version of the Santa Fe arrives this month.

The Elantra, Hyundai's popular compact, sold 12,174, up from 10,900 the same month a year ago. But Hyundai's top-selling model, the Sonata sedan, saw a slight dropoff in sales: 13,247 vs. 14,489 a year ago.